The World Health Organization was requested by Member States to develop a global priority pathogens list (global PPL) of antibiotic-resistant bacteria to help in prioritizing the research and development (R&D) of new and effective antibiotic treatments. To date, the selection of pathogens for R&D activities has been largely guided by small and large pharmaceutical companies according to a variety of parameters, such as perceived/unmet medical need, pressure of investors, market size, scientific discovery potential, and availability of specific technologies. Previous PPLs, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

An analysis of nearly 30,000 patients undergoing liver transplantation in the United States between 2008 and 2014 found elevated death and organ loss rates in the first 5 years after transplantation among recipients with the highest use of opioid pain medications while on the waiting list. Higher risks mainly emerged after the first transplant anniversary, a pattern that may in part reflect sustained opioid use. Sixty five percent of those with the highest level of opioid use on the waiting list continued moderate to high level use in the first year after transplantation.

A Japanese research group has discovered that a newly-identified autoimmune endocrine disease that leads to hypopituitarism is caused by thymomas (a type of tumor originating from the thymic gland). These underlying mechanisms could help to understand and develop a treatment for similar autoimmune diseases. These findings were published on February 20 in the online edition of Scientific Reports. The research group was led by Associate Professor TAKAHASHI Yutaka, Research Fellow BANDO Hironori, and Associate Professor IGUCHI Genzo in Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine.

A team led by Pr. Marina Cavazzana conducted at Necker Children's Hospital, AP-HP and the Imagine Institute (AP-HP / Inserm / Université Paris Descartes) in October 2014 gene therapy in the context of a phase I clinical trial / II in a patient 13 years with severe sickle cell disease. Conducted in collaboration with Pr. Philippe Leboulch (CEA / University Faculties of Medicine of Paris-Sud and Harvard University) who developed the vector used and directed preclinical studies, this innovative treatment allowed complete remission of clinical signs of disease and correction of biological signs. The results are published on March 2nd 2017 in the New England Jounal of Medicine.

Interdisciplinary research at the University of Leicester has explored the impact of black carbon on bacteria in the respiratory tract .Researchers from the University of Leicester have for the first time discovered that bacteria that cause respiratory infections are directly affected by air pollution - increasing the potential for infection and changing the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment. The interdisciplinary study, which has been published in the journal Environmental Microbiology, has important implications for the treatment of infectious diseases, which are known to be increased in areas with high levels of air pollution.

Using flight interception and pitfall traps, the researchers followed the development of insect fauna in areas hit by storm Lothar. (Image: Beat Wermelinger/WSL)

A study conducted by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) shows that storm-ravaged woodland is approximately twice as rich in insect species as undamaged forest. This is because many endangered forest insects benefit from the open forest areas left behind by storms.

Storms, like Vivian, Lothar or Kyrill, are the most frequent natural disruptive factors in European forests and a driving force of forest dynamics. Windthrows alter habitats by opening up previously shaded sites, thereby changing the local climate and vegetation. Furthermore, storms produce large quantities of dead wood, on which about a quarter of all forest-dwelling organisms depend.